Bulgaria examines 2015 poison case

SOFIA, Bulgaria — Bulgaria plans to investigate reports that a third suspect in the nerve agent poisoning of a Russian ex-spy in England allegedly was involved in a 2015 poisoning in Bulgaria, a Bulgarian party official said Sunday.

Tsvetan Tsvetanov of the ruling Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party said the probe was being coordinated with foreign partners.

“I am certain that the necessary coordination has already been set up between the Bulgarian, British and European authorities on the case and they are working actively on it,” Tsvetanov said.

Investigative group Bellingcat has reported an alleged Russian military intelligence agent arrived in Bulgaria in April 2015, a few days before Bulgarian businessman Emilian Gebrev was poisoned by an unidentified substance. Gebrev, an arms industry executive, survived.

Bellingcat said on its website the 45-year-old Russian agent traveled under the alias Sergei Vyacheslavovich Fedotov.

Bellingcat said Fedotov also was suspected of being involved in the Novichok nerve-agent poisoning of Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in the English city of Salisbury. He arrived in Britain two days before the March 2018 attack.

Both Skripals survived after weeks in the hospital and after their release were taken to an undisclosed location for their safety, the British government has said.